Denair High came close to earning its first win of the season this week in a two-game showdown with Le Grand High on Wednesday and Friday, but late-inning slumps in both games instead led to a pair of defeats and extended the Coyote's record to 0-8.

The sting of loss felt by both Turlock and Pitman High baseball teams in the second day of the Pedretti Tournament was quickly forgotten on Saturday, as each local team toppled their respective opponent to end with a win and 2-1 overall record.

The 2015 tennis season is shaping up to be a highly competitive one for Southern Athletic League teams, with Ripon Christian, Delhi and Denair High leading the pack. The Knights, as they did last season and in seasons past, sit atop the league standings while the Hawks sit with one loss and the Coyotes sit with two.

Just one day after placing fourth alongside Escalon High in the team standings of the 2015 Yellowjacket Invitational, Hilmar High suffered its first Trans Valley League loss at the hands of Ripon High on Tuesday. Despite beating Ripon by nearly 30 strokes on Monday, the 'Jackets found themselves on the losing end of a two-stroke game against the Indians, 237-235.

Last year Turlock High's varsity boys tennis team went a perfect 12-0 in the Central California Conference behind head coach Juana Alaniz, who after the season decided to call it quits while his assistant coach Bill Weber recently accepted the head coaching job at Denair High.

Last year was a split success for the Delhi and Denair High track and field programs as both boys teams dominated in the Southern Athletic League, while the respective girls teams finished in the bottom half of league.

The start to the Central California Conference swimming season was a success for both the girls and boys of Turlock High and Pitman High. With respective swim meets against Golden Valley High and Atwater High, the Bulldogs and Pride took the first step towards improving on last year efforts with convincing wins.

Denair native Bobby Swedberg was named the Hilmar High School varsity baseball head coach in the fall, taking over a team that battled with much controversy en route to a 7-5 Trans Valley League record in 2014, placing fifth for the year.

The 2015 has the potential to be the best season to date for the track and field teams of Turlock and Pitman highs. While the Bulldogs will be looking for a redemptive year, the Pride will aim for a repeat.

High-class wrestlers are often separated by the slimmest of margins - a point, a move, a mistake. This is especially true at the CIF State Wrestling Championships where the best wrestlers California has to offer come together to decide who's number one.

Wrestling season is over for all but one of Pitman High's four State representatives after day one of the CIF State Championships. Though they entered Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield with the same podium dreams as teammate Angel Velasquez, Pride wrestlers Isiah Perez (113), Adam Velasquez (120) and Gilbert Valadez (145) will be fulfilling supporting roles today after being eliminated from the State Tournament on Friday.

Not even a car crash could keep Brian Dudley and Andrew Knapp, Denair tennis' number one and two singles players, from seeking retribution against league juggernauts Ripon Christian on Friday. The two Coyote players were involved in a head-on collision on their way to the match, but still managed to make it to the courts where they won their matches in the 7-2 effort over the Knights.

Pitman High thoroughly beat Merced High on the baseball diamond Monday afternoon in the Pride's second Central California Conference game of the season. Four days removed from beating Golden Valley High 8-0, Pitman again pitched a shutout as they handed Merced its third consecutive loss by a score of 10-0.

Things have changed in the Central California Conference this year and this week marked the beginning of a three-game series, starting with game one at Turlock High as the Bulldogs hosted the Atwater Falcons.